Are full service moving quotes really this expensive?
Major full-service van lines can quote upwards of $15,000 to $16,000 for a small apartment move, leaving people to question if these prices are normal. This extreme cost pushes customers to consider much cheaper alternatives like renting a truck or using portable storage containers like U-Box and PODS.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since July 2026.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Waiting on quotes from other moving companies and local providersDid this help you?
- 2Switching to portable storage containers like PODS or U-Haul U-Boxes and hiring local labor for loading and unloadingDid this help you?
- 3Selling or donating furniture and belongings to downsize the loadDid this help you?
- 4Renting a truck to drive and pack everything personallyDid this help you?
- 5Choosing a self-move option with rental trucks like U-HaulDid this help you?
- 6Packing essential items and clothes into suitcasesDid this help you?
- 7Renting temporary furnitureDid this help you?
- 8Buying temporary household items and air mattressesDid this help you?
- 9Sell furniture instead of moving itDid this help you?
- 10Compare different moving and truck rental company ratesDid this help you?
- 11Leaving furniture behind and buying new furniture at the destination to lower moving costs.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“We just got a full service quote from Allied for $15,500-$16,100. We're still waiting on United and North American, but in the meantime does that sound right?”source ↗
“Are van lines really that expensive? I was expecting around $10k. Should we just look into ubox or pods?”source ↗
“That seems high for two 1 bedroom apartments.”source ↗
“Moving company said delivery will be between 09/16/2026 - 10/02/2026.”source ↗
“This is clinically insane. I’m in the middle of a 1BR move 4 hours away and it’s going to cost me under $1,500 all in. Just rent the vehicle, pack your things inside it, drive it, unpack. $16,000 is outrageous”source ↗
“U-haul said they’ll charge $3K to rent a truck from here to TX and that without adding my car to tow.”source ↗
“Hello! Need help with legal advice on who to contact about suing a moving broker who misled us through their inaccurate quotes. Has anyone dealt with this before?”source ↗
“I am moving all the way to SATX from Ft. Lauderdale in 1 month. But seems so expensive to move all my stuff. I was looking into U box from Uhaul and it’s around $2500 with taxes and fees. A truck from Uhaul will be around $3000 counting the gas and I don’t know how to drive a truck plus towing my car by myself.”source ↗
“I don’t have too many things or furniture. But I do have a lot of clothes, shoes and other miscellaneous that I don’t want to leave behind. In total I have like 10 Large boxes around 40lbs each of things I really want to move.”source ↗
“Can I ship boxes there? Or will it be too expensive?”source ↗
“If I can keep the shipping under $800 I’m willing to leave all my furniture here and buy new one with the money I’m saving from the truck or the Uhaul.”source ↗
“Idk what to do. I’m getting very close to the moving date.”source ↗
“Then they quoted a week to get our things… yeah NOPE. It was OVER a month.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3Movers demanding more money after loading
- 2Why is my cell phone bill thousands of dollars after traveling?
- 2Is my home warranty replacement quote too high?
- 4How do you plan a first-time long distance move?
- 11How to handle crazy high shipping costs for small business
- 11How to find reliable long distance movers without getting scammed